Distinctive Features Influence Perceived Metaphor Aptness and Preference for Metaphor Use

ABSTRACT The present study investigated whether distinctive features influence speakers’ evaluations of metaphor aptness and their preference for metaphor use. We examined three types of topic-attributed features: (i) distinctive features of the target metaphor, (ii) distinctive features of the competitive metaphor (unique features of a metaphor that has the same topic as the target metaphor but a different vehicle), and (iii) common features (features that are shared by both the target and competitive metaphors). Both metaphor aptness (Experiment 1: N = 132) and preference (Experiment 2: N = 90) were more pronounced when the distinctive features of the target metaphor rather than those of the competitive metaphor and common features were attributed to the topic. These results suggest that distinctive features determine the use of a specific metaphorical expression. These findings have implications for metaphor production and use because they can be used to identify the most apt vehicle.